Courage Is
by K1S3K1
Summary: Amy reaches a turning point in her life. Amy/Ricky
1. A Sister to Sister Heart to Heart

**CHAPTER 1: A Sister-to-Sister Heart-to-Heart**

"Yeah, Ashley. Something definitely needs to change," Amy said, thinking aloud.

"Well, finally you've had the same epiphany I had months ago," Ashley remarked in her usual monotone voice. "It's obvious that if things stay the way they are now with Mom, Dad, Ben, Adrian, and Ricky you're going to lose it."

Amy turned to lie down on the bed. "So now I guess I have to figure out exactly what it is that needs to be changed." After a few moments of silent contemplation, she glanced over at Ashley. "Hey Ash."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think something happened in Italy with Ben this summer?"

Ashley looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. I can't put my finger on it, but I know something definitely happened there. At least during the couple of days I couldn't get in touch with him. And when he came back, he was different. First, he kept talking about how he wanted him, John and I to be a family and do family things. And then, he keeps pushing the sex issue. And now, all of a sudden, he stops bringing up sex and surprises me with a cooler full of chicken wings, telling me that he wants to have a romantic, Sunday afternoon picnic."

"I get what you mean. It's a little fishy, isn't it? If there's anything Ben's known for, it's his stubbornness and consistency. Which are usually the same thing." Ashley glanced over at her sister, who was now sitting up looking a little anxious. "What would you do if he did do something behind your back this past summer?"

Amy looked defeated for a moment. Then she met Ashley's eyes with a determined gleam shining in them, "I'd break up with him."

This time, Ashley sat up. "Seriously? But don't you love him?"

"I do." Amy took a deep breath. "But being with someone who lies and hides things from me... I deserve someone better than that. But you know..." Amy fidgeted a little.

"What?"

"Even if he didn't do anything..." Amy trailed off looking into space for a moment. "I think I would still want to end things."

"Why?!" Ashley was genuinely surprised at this point.

"Because Ben and I are just not on the same page anymore. I'm finally getting used to being John's mother and all the things that come with it, including dealing with Ricky and Adrian practically every day..."

"...But Ben hasn't," Ashley finished.

"Exactly. He gets jealous of Ricky, and the more I think about it, it just seems like Ben only wants to have sex with me to feel more secure about our relationship. Like, he wants this security so badly that he overlooks my emotions. It's like he doesn't understand me anymore, and he's not trying to." Amy sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I understood from the very beginning that Ben is a sheltered kid. He's been protected by money his entire life and he's used to getting what he wants. And when he doesn't, he behaves like a bratty child. He's being too needy... Too greedy. I have John to look after, and the last thing I need is a boyfriend who needs my attention 24/7."

Ashley looked at her sister with a small smile on her face. "I think you just grew up a little." Amy glared at her. "Oh, no. Don't take it the wrong way! I meant it as a compliment! It's just... Amy, you let people walk all over you too much. You're nice, and people like that about you, but it's also one of your greatest flaws. But now you're standing up for yourself. You know what you want, what you don't want and most of all, what you deserve."

"Thanks Ash." Amy got up and hugged her sister.

"I never really liked Ben anyway. He's too... naïve." They both laughed.

"You're right!" Amy sat down again and pulled her knees to her chest. "Now that I've cleared that up... How should I do it? Should I just call him and get it over with before school tomorrow? Or should I wait until I see him in person...?"

"Maybe you should just call him now. Seeing him in person might make you lose your resolve, and I can't guarantee that someone will be there to help you if he tries to corner you or drag you outside to 'talk.'" Ashley said thoughtfully.

Amy pulled out her cell phone. "Okay. I'll do it now." She took a moment to find Ben's number and then pressed the phone to her ear. "I'm actually not nervous," she said while the phone was ringing. Ashley smiled encouragingly at her.

"'Ello," an unfamiliar voice answered.

"Hello?" Amy looked confused.

"Ciao!" It definitely sounded like a girl.

"Um, is Ben there? I need to speak with him."

"Chi è questo?"

"What?!" Amy was starting to get agitated.

"Maria!" Amy could hear Ben in the background laughing a little. "What are you doing?" Pause. "Who is it?" The phone sounded like it was being muffled by something. Suddenly, Ben's voice came on the line. "Amy?"

"Ben? Who was that?"

"Uh, a friend..." Ben sounded nervous.

"An Italian friend?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence passed. Ashley was waving her arms frantically in the air, as if to say, _What are you doing?!_ Amy shook her head and cleared her throat. "Well, Ben. I was just calling to tell you that I don't think we should be together anymore. It's not that I don't love you, I just don't think a relationship with you is the best thing for me at this point in my life." Before Ben could respond, Amy quickly hung up.

Ashley and Amy waited for a few minutes to see if he would call back.

He didn't.

"School should be fun tomorrow," Ashley remarked with a grin on her face. "How do you feel, Amy?"

Amy let out a deep breath. "Strangely relieved. I hope he doesn't make a scene in the hallway. He might lose it and say something rude to me and I _don't_ want to get suspended again."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! I know this story's starting off a little slow, but this first chapter is extremely important! Feel free to leave reviews and/or constructive criticism. ^_^


	2. Truce

**CHAPTER 2: Truce**

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Who's baby _are_ you?" George was staring at his newborn son. Little Robert's hands, hair and face looked completely foreign to him. He walked into the room and saw Anne rearranging her pillows so she could lie down comfortably. "Hey, Anne. Have you seen Robert?"

Anne sat up quickly. "What? Where is he? Where did he go? Did someone take him?" She started hyperventilating.

"That's not it. He's right here!" George held up the sleeping baby.

Now Anne looked irritated. "Well, thank you very much for giving me the scare of my life!" She huffed and glanced over at George. "What do you mean, 'Have I seen Robert'? Of course I've seen him! I just gave birth to him, didn't I?"

"Duh! But look! He doesn't look like me at all! Amy and Ashley both resemble me in some way, but why doesn't Robert?" George narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Are you sure he's mine, Anne?"

"Yes he is, George," Anne said tiredly. "David's family hired a private company to conduct a DNA test while I was still pregnant."

"Isn't that dangerous? What if he's retarded because of what they've done to him?" George turned red with anger.

"Seriously, George. We live in the 21st century. There are safe ways to check the parentage of an infant while he or she is still in the womb." Anne rolled her eyes. "And besides, everyone knows that girls usually take after their fathers, while boys take after their mothers. Robert looks like me."

George peered carefully into Robert's tiny face. "I guess you're right. What a relief!" George grinned. "Those are _your_ giant ears on the side of his cute little face!"

"Excuse me?" Anne lifted an eyebrow.

"Err… Nothing!" He quickly walked out of the room, whistling to himself.

* * *

**_At the same time…_**

Ricky was driving Adrian home. He figured that since he was in the area, he'd drop by for a few minutes to see John. Adrian remained silent in the passenger's seat, except for the occasion sniffle here and there.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ricky glanced over.

"No, Ricky! I'm not okay!" Adrian shouted. "I just had to recall the most painful heartache I've ever felt in my entire life in front of my boyfriend and some guy that I don't even know!"

"I told you this would happen," he replied while shaking his head. "It's okay, you know. The past is the past. It's you and me now, isn't it?" He turned to smile at Adrian only to discover that she was now _scowling_ at him. "What?"

"Easy for you to say! What the hell have you ever gone through that was as horrible as what I've gone through?" Adrian stopped herself and tried to apologize. "Oh my god, Ricky. I'm so—"

Ricky pulled over on the side of the road. "Have you lost your _fucking_ mind, Adrian?" he asked in a deadly quiet voice. "Did you seriously just ask me that question?"

"N-n-n…" Adrian stammered looking away.

"Have you forgotten that my own father _molested_ me repeatedly throughout my childhood? So the guy you loved had to move away because he had cancer," Ricky snorted. "Seems to me that you're doing just _fine_, aren't you? You have everything you've ever wanted. You have your nice, shiny convertible that your mommy bought you. You have enough money saved up to go to whatever college you want. Your parents are back together and they just bought a place. But not just _any_ place! They bought the house right next door to Amy's because that's what _you_ wanted." Ricky ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "You wanted me to go to _therapy_ with you, and you got your way. I understand now why you are the way you are." Ricky leaned forward and said dangerously, "But if you think that I'm going to be just another one of your pathetic little puppets like your mommy and daddy _think again, Adrian_. You can only play the my-first-love-moved-away-because-he-had-cancer card with me a handful of times before the shit gets old. I _get_ that you have trust issues, but I refuse to be your outlet. If you think you really need help, deal with your own bullshit before demanding a commitment from me." Ricky leaned back into his seat and started driving again.

When he got to Adrian's driveway, Adrian got out of the car and slammed the door without a backwards glance. _Whatever_, he thought to himself. He parked his car in Amy's driveway and went into the Juergens' house.

He walked straight upstairs to John's nursery and found John asleep in his crib, and Amy sitting in a chair smiling to herself.

"Well, seems like you're in a good mood," he smirked.

Amy jumped. "Ricky!" she said in a hushed voice. "You scared me!"

"Obviously." He grinned. "How long has he been asleep."

"For a while now. It's so great how he can finally get through the night without waking up, isn't it?" She got up and stood next to Ricky, staring at John's sleeping face. She looked up at Ricky and frowned. "What's wrong with you?"

"What, is there something on my face?" Ricky quirked his eyebrow.

"No, but your hair looks like how it usually does if you've had a frustrating day at work with Ben. Like you stuck your finger into a socket."

Ricky walked over to a mirror and laughed. "You're right."

Amy tapped his shoulder and motioned for him to follow her downstairs. "It's okay. I have the baby monitor on." Ricky shrugged and followed her. When they got to the living room Amy sat down on the couch and asked, "So… Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"Before I do…" Ricky got up and shut all the curtains and blinds closed. He looked at Amy's surprised face and said, "I don't want Adrian spying. She's getting on my nerves."

Amy nodded. "So you're frustrated with Adrian?"

"Yeah."

"What happened? I thought everything was going well?"

"She made me go to therapy with her," Ricky said in a monotone voice.

"Oh…" Amy nodded, not quite understanding.

"All I want is someone to have sex with, and I told her that."

Amy rolled her eyes. "And then…?"

"And then she told me that she doesn't want to have sex with me unless I'm committed to her a hundred percent."

"Uh huh…"

"And the only way for me to prove that I want to be committed to her, since my word is apparently crap, is to see a therapist and talk about our problems. She chose my therapist, Lauren's dad, because he's the best there is."

Amy looked surprised. "I see why you're upset with her."

"Yeah."

"So how was the therapy session?"

"It was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had to sit through." Ricky leaned back and looked at the ceiling, exasperated. "First, she was going on and on about how much she loves sex and how sex with me and her is so amazing. And then when she mentions that she'd like me to stick around after sex… Like, spend the night? So when Dr. Fields asks her why she wants me to stick around, she says, 'I don't know,' which leads to the discussion about the first time she's ever had sex."

Amy was interested now. She leaned forward. "Go on."

Ricky looked at her and smirked. "I'm _so_ glad you're getting a kick out of this."

"Yeah, yeah… Go on!"

"Well, the first guy she's ever slept with was some guy who lived in her building. They grew up together and they were best friends who were in love. But then he had to move away to somewhere far because he had cancer and she never really got over that." Ricky sighed.

"Ah. So basically, all of Adrian's insecurities are being dumped on you."

It was Ricky's turn to be surprised. "How did you know that?"

"I've just had an epiphany, that's all!" Amy grinned.

"About…?" Ricky leaned forward. This time, _he_ was interested.

"About my life in general." Amy giggled. "That's why I broke up with Ben about an hour ago."

"You're joking!"

"Nope!" Amy clasped her hands together and her grin widened. "I just realized that Ben and I want different things. He's not the person who understands me the most anymore. In fact, he's the complete opposite. I don't know how I've gone so long without realizing how much of a brat he is!" Amy's grin faded a little. "I wasted a lot of time, trying to hold together something that wasn't even worth it." Then she frowned. "He probably cheated on me while he was in Italy. When I called him, some girl answered his phone in Italian. I'm assuming that's what happened there, but I don't care anymore."

"Wow."

"I know, right? I'm amazing." Amy smiled again. "Hey, I liked having this heart-to-heart with you. We should do this more often."

"Yeah," Ricky tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It's probably better that we get along. John's at the age where he's very aware of his surroundings. And it's not healthy for his development if his parents are always at each other's throats."

"And besides…" Amy looked down and coughed. "Nevermind."

"What? Finish your sentence."

"Um… I guess we're probably the ones who understand each other the most." Amy looked uncomfortable and blushed. "I mean, now. At this point in our lives. Because we have John and our priority is him."

Ricky smiled. "Yeah." He stuck his right hand out. "Truce?"

Amy looked up and grinned as well. "Truce!"

* * *

**A/N: **A huuuuuuuge thank you to everyone who reviewed my story! I had to watch and re-watch the season finale so many times to get some of the details worked out. I really hope there's some Ricky/Amy action in the upcoming season... XD That scene where Ricky's stroking Amy's hair out of her face got my hopes up! I'm gonna work that into one of the later chapters.

Questions? Complaints? Concerns? Let me know! 3


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